The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1887-10-08
The Useful Saw.
From The Earth.

From The Earth.
The Greeks attributed the invention of
the saw to the accidental finding of the jaw
bone of a snake by Talus, who used it to
cut through small piece of wood. Being
slave and finding this jaw bone eased his
labor, he made saw of iron and thus
shaped for man new and most valuable
tool But the idea of the saw could be
easily suggested to primitive man in differ
ent sections of the globe by accidental
notching of metals, or the serrated bones of
fish. 1t is said the original inhabitants Of
Madeira found ready made saw in the
back bone of a fish. There is saw-fy
with saws in its tail, which it uses to saw
stems, leaves and fruit to make receptacles
for its eggs.
In ancient saws the teeth were SO ar
ranged that the cut was made by pulling
instead of pushing, and the teeth set so
that ten or dozen in succession slanted
one way and then ten or more were slanted
in the other instead of each alternate tooth.
The Greeks used cross cut saws for two
men, also saws for cutting marble into
slabs; and they had tubular saw for hol-
lowing out marble bath tub similar in
principle to the modern implement. In
the burned city of Herculaneum picture
was uncovered representing two Genii saw
ing piece of wood on carpenters bench
not unlike the style now in use and using
a saw with wooden frame similar to those
employed, and the frame is frightened with
and cffaE xuood- NJ have
it, and was doubtless as familiar to the
Romans as it is to us.
The first trace of saw-mill in Germany
is of one at Augsburg in the year 1887,
and there are now two near that city which
are known to have existed since 1417.
Before the invention of the saw-mill boards
andplanks were split with wedges and hewn
smooth by the axe. Peter the Great of
Russia states he had great difficulty in in
ducing the timber cutters of his empire to
discontinue this method, and it is still re-
sorted to where the tools Of civilization are
not at hand. In Norway, country Of
forests, there was not one saw-mill before
1880, and the English bitterly opposed the
introduction of the saw-mill. In 1868, a
Hollander erected one near London, bat
the wood-eutters and sawyers would not
permit it to continue No serious atte@pt
to erect saw-mill in England was again
made until 1867, when large English
lumber dealer built saw-mill to be worked
by wind. No sooner was it complete than
the sawyers assembled in large numbers
and demolished it. The Government COM
pensated the ownex and large number
of the rioters were punished. A new mill
speedily replaced the destroyed one and
was a success Now, they have saws in
Great Britain so fine as to cut diamonds,
and circular saws nine feet in diameter,
while the United States have distanced the
English and almost reached perfection in
saw-mill machinery and wood shaping ma
chimes and tools.
An immense amount oflumber is wasted
in sawdust, but this wastage even is to be
practically stopped by machinery.
DR.. H. S. Smith, of Brooklyn, N. Y:
the inventor of the improved veneer cut
ting machine, has applied the principle of
that machine to one for cutting logs into
timber. One of the machines adopted for
cutting logs four feet long and averaging
two feet in diameter, will cut in one day
$4,000 feet of inch, 10000 feet of half
inch, or $4,000 feet of quarter-inch lum-
Der. The operation of cutting renders
smooth the surface of the board, as if
planned, so that the machine is a combined
substitute for saving and planning. The
inventor shows barrel slaves made from
lumber manufactured by his machine and
claims that it will turn out $500 slaves
per 900 feet instead of the l 800 other
machines produce 1t will revolutionize
box and small wood manufacturing.